Alberta’s special hunting licences yield $356K at Utah auction

Seven unique hunting licences issued by the Alberta government have sold for the equivalent of C$356,000 at an auction in Utah.

The Alberta Minister’s Special Licences are issued annually and exempt hunters with the highest bid from certain rules.

At the 2025 Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Utah on the weekend, hunters paid US$50,000 each for moose and elk licences, while the mule deer licence was the most coveted and sold for US$70,000.

The white-tailed deer licence sold for US$32,500; the cougar licence sold for US$29,000; and the one for a pronghorn sold for US$15,000.

The turkey licence fetched the least at US$4,500.

An eighth special licence issued by the province this year, for a bighorn sheep — Alberta’s official mammal, sold for a record-breaking US$400,000 at a different U.S. auction.

Licence holders are allowed to kill one animal that the licence is for, but the hunt can take place year-round in most parts of the province, as long as hunting for that animal is already permitted in the area.

Licence holders don’t need to be Alberta or Canadian residents, and each licence is valid for one year.

Compared to last year, the 2025 bighorn sheep, moose and pronghorn licences all sold for higher amounts, while the elk, turkey, and mule deer licences sold for less.

The mule deer licence in 2024 yielded US$160,000 — more than twice as much as this year.

Cougar and white-tailed deer licences weren’t issued in 2024.

Overall, the 2025 special licences fetched C$923,000, which the government has pledged for animal conservation projects.

Alexandru Cioban, a spokesperson for Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen, did not immediately respond to questions Monday but said last month the funds are given to the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society.

The society, which is responsible for licensing hunting guides and outfitters on behalf of the government, administers the funds on behalf of a committee, which doles out the money in the form of grants for conservation projects.

Jeana Schuurman, the society’s managing director, has said the committee has representatives from conservation organizations and post-secondary schools, as well as an Indigenous representative and a member of the public.

Cioban said in January that habitat enhancement, disease management in wild sheep and wildlife movement ecology studies are examples of projects the licences have helped fund in past years.

“While the funds raised vary from year to year, the Minister’s Special Licence program provides a steady flow of funding to conservation projects,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2025.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press